Ice tray



Feb. 18, 1936. G L NKHAM 2,031,515

ICE TRAY Filed July 5, 1.954

v INVENTOR. flag/L- flak/W72 A TTORNEYS Patented Feb. 18, 1936 PATENT OFFICE ICE TRAY Guy L. 'linkham,

McCord Radiator Original application 714,908. Divided 1934, Serial No.

1 Claim.

This invention relates to flexible metal ice trays of the character covered by my Patent No. 1,894,897, granted January 17, 1933 and co-pending applications Serial No. 645,215 flled December 1,.1932 which has now matured into Patent No. 1,997,838, patented April 16, 1935, and Serial No. 686,328 flied August 28, 1933, the latter being a division of the former.

The present application covers my improved handle means for such trays and is a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 714,908, filed March 10, 1934.

In accordance with my invention, the handle is at one end of the tray and it is an object of my invention to pivotally connect the handle to the tray whereby the handle member may be swung into extended relation with the tray for use, and against the adjacent end wall of the tray when not in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide the tray with a flange by means of which the handle is pivotally connected to the tray.

A further object of my invention is to utilize this flange and the portion of the handle member engaged thereby-to clamp the adjacent wall forming portions of the tray in overlapping relation.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a flexible metal ice tray provided with a pivoted handle at one end of the tray in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view through the handle end of the tray to show the manner in which the handle is connected to the tray;

Fi 3 is an elevational view of the handle end of the tray;

Fig. 4 is a similar view of the opposite end of the tray; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the manner in which the tray is folded into tray form from a flat sheet metal blank, the flange for securing the handle member to the tray being shown as an integral part of the blank.

The tray is folded into tray form from a flat sheet metal blank of the desired sage and material. This provides the tray with integrally connected bottom, side and end walls I, 2, and

3. The side walls have folded end extensions 4, 4 bent into overlapping: relation with the end walls 3 on the outer sides thereof as shown. The extensions 4 are triangular in shape, overlap each other and have their upper edges in the plane of the upper edges of the side walls 2. The'end walls I, each have an integral extension, consti- Detroit, Mich, assignor to & Mfg. 00., Detroit, Mich" a corporation of Maine March 10, 1934, Serial No. and this application July 5, 733,726

tuting a flange 5, projecting above the upper edges of the side walls, and thus above the upper edges of the folded extensions 4, in the initial formation of the tray. These flanges extend substantially the full width of their associated end ,walls 3 and are bent downwardly over the overlapping extensions 4 on the outer sides thereto to secure the extensions together and against the end walls 3.

One of these flanges 5 is employed to pivotally connect a handle member 6 to the adjacent end of the tray. This handle member, as shown in the drawing, is in the form of a metal ball or loop, preferably of relatively stout and rigid wire bent into rectangular-like form which gives the bail substantially straight and parallel portions I 1, 8 by which the handle member is grasped and attached to the tray, respectively. The attaching wardly therefrom, as shown in Fig. 1, for ready grasping or may be sw'lmg into'collapsed position against or adjacent the tray wall to be out of the way as shown in dotted lines in Fig, 2. g

The tray is adapted for use in mechanical refrigerators and has a width no greater than the width of the individual cubes or units into which the mass frozenin the tray is fractured on flexing the tray at its expansion joints. The handle member is confined within the width of the tray so that the handle member, may not project or extend beyond. v the sides of the tray to strike exterior objects at the sides of the tray or interfere with placing the tray in closely associated relation with other trays. To keep the handle member within the width of the tray, the flange 5 may be notched out at its opposite ends as at 9, 9 to accommodate the side arms of the loop. The handle member being attached to the upper edge portion of the tray, may be swung into its lowered position without projecting below the tray to interfere with the tray seating on its bottom wall. I

The flange 5 at the opposite end of the tray is pressedflat against the extensions 4 as shown in Fig. 4. 1

The tray after being folded into tray form and the end walls interlocked and the handle member applied is subjected to a joint forming operation to provide its bottom and side walls I, 2 with a series of expansion joints l0, H), as shovm in the drawing. These joints are suitably spaced along the length of the tray to divide it into the desired number of cube or block forming sections or cells and to permit flexing of the tray to fracture the mass frozen in the tray into these sections at the scoring formed by the joints. The latter extend into the tray for this purpose. The joints extend across the bottom and the side walls of the tray and through the upper edges of the side walls whereby the tray, which is of metal, may, be readily and easily flexed in the hands of an operator to break the frozen mass into the smaller sections and release them for immediate discharge from the tray. The joints may be formed by the method and apparatus disclosed in my application, Serial No. 714,908 as aforesaid. The joints comprise integral portions of the adjacent walls of the tray, said portions being extended into the tray in converging relation as shown. The attaching portion 8 of the handle comprises the end portions of the wire of which the bail is formed and these end portions are in opposed relation as shown.

I claim as my invention:

A flexible metal ice tray folded into tray form from a blank of sheet metal and having bottom, side, and end walls, expansion joints in the bottom and the side walls of the tray extending across said walls and through the upper edges of the side walls, said joints projecting into the tray in spaced relation along the length of the tray to divide the tray into a series of integrally con-' nected cells, the end Walls of the tray being formed by overlapping sections integral with the bottom and the side walls, respectively, a flange on the innermost section of each end wall and bendable over the outermost sections for securing the sections in overlapping relation, and a baillike handle member having a pair of cross portions and side portions connecting the cross portions, said handle member being pivotally attached to the tray by having one of said flanges bent over one ofthe cross portions of the handle member between and free of its side portions, said flange having a width to extend about and under the cross portion of the handle member engaged thereby to hold said cross portion against the adjacent end wall of the tray and the sections of said end wall in overlapping relation.

GUY L. TINKHAM. 

